Successful Meetings - January 2009 - (Page 78)

Phoenix, Arizona PHOENIX CONVENTION CENTER Sophisticated meeting space and stunning architecture await attendees at the new downtown convention center. The Big Day: Inside Scoop December 27, 2008 The Bottom Line: $600 million A $1.4 billion light-rail system debuted in Phoenix in December 2008, linking downtown to the neighboring communities of Tempe and Mesa, and providing passage to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The system’s quiet, airconditioned trains operate 18 to 20 hours per day, seven days a week, and an all-day pass costs only $2.50. PROPERTY PRIMER Five years and $600 million in the making, the newly expanded Phoenix Convention Center welcomes its first groups this month. Its urban campus boasts nearly 900,000 square feet of exhibition and meeting space, three ballrooms (the largest at 46,000 square feet), and ecologically friendly design elements such as solar paneling and a water-harvesting garden. The facility contains 97 meeting rooms (many with outdoor prefunction space) and a 21,000square-foot dedicated conference center. User-friendly features include exhibit halls with pre-scored floors, loading bays with air conditioning, and a food court with five themed eateries. • Nearly 3,000 guest rooms are located within walking distance of the convention center, including 1,000 at the new Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, which opened in October 2008 WIRED UP A fiber-optic network runs throughout the Phoenix Convention Center, and point-topoint connections are available in almost every location • Exhibit halls and ballrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet connections, and each workstation in the conference center’s 192-seat lecture hall is fitted with dataports and power outlets • Audiences in the lecture hall can issue wireless responses in voting situations, and assisted-listening devices provide real-time interpretations in up to four languages pubs to authentic Mexican restaurants to a pizzeria that serves what a New York Times food critic deemed the “best pizza in America” • Phoenix’s new light-rail system links the convention center to sports venues such as US Airways Center (home of the Phoenix Suns) and Chase Field (home of the Arizona Diamondbacks), as well as cultural attractions such as Heard Museum (one of the world’s greatest repositories of Native American art) and Phoenix Art Museum (one of the Southwest’s best fine-art houses) MAP IT OUT The Phoenix Convention Center rises in the heart of downtown, conveniently located on the light-rail line. The new facility is less than 10 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and getting downtown by taxi typically costs less than $20. INTERIOR DESIGN The new Phoenix Convention Center’s architecture and interior environs are inspired by the colors and textures of the Grand Canyon, and its campus is adorned with $3.2 million worth of public art CONTACT James Jessie, VP of Sales Greater Phoenix CVB (877) MEET-PHX or (602) 254-6500 E-mail: jjessie@visitphoenix.com www.meetphx.com SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION DIVERSIONS & EXCURSIONS Within walking distance of the Phoenix Convention Center meeting attendees will find everything from local-flavored sports 78 http://www.meetphx.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - January 2009

Successful Meetings - January 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.